> >> This is an actual question given on a University of > >> Washington chemistry mid term: > >> > >> Is Hell exothermic or endothermic? Support your answer > >> with a proof. > >> > >> Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using > >> Boyle's Law (gas cools off when it expands and heats up > >> when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, > >> however, wrote the following: > >> First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing > >> in time. So, we need to know the rate that souls are > >> moving into Hell and the rate they are leaving. I think > >> that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, > >> it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. > >> As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at > >> the different religions that exist in the world today. > >> Some of these religions state that if you are not a > >> member of their religion, you will go to Hell. > >> Since there are more than one of these religions and > >> since people do not belong to more than one religion, > >> we can project that all people and all souls go to Hell. > >> With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the > >> number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. > >> > >> Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell > >> because Boyle's Law states that in order for the > >> temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, > >> the volume of Hell has to expand as souls are added. > >> > >> This gives two possibilities: > >> > >> (1) If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate > >> at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and > >> pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose. > >> (2) Of course, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than > >> the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and > >> pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. > >> So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me > >> by Ms. Therese Banyan during my Freshman year that > >> "It will be a cold night in Hell before I sleep with you," > >> and take into account the fact that I still have not > >> succeeded in that area, then (2) cannot be true, and so > >> Hell is exothermic. > >> > >> This student got the only A. > >> -- Indi Soemardjan Be my guest: http://pagina.de/indradi
